1844

1844: The Friendship with Henrik Stampe

January - March;

The friendship with Henrik Stampe soon becomes a close and passionate relationship, filled with ups and downs. There are no diaries stemming from this period. However, there are entries in the almanac such as "my beloved Henrik" (27th December, 43) and "visited H., he was here later, he caressed me" (4th March 44). It is from these first few months of the year that a letter from the Collin collection (XVII, H. 32, no. 588) must stem:

"My darling Henrik! / Writing to you seems a little odd, seeing as I could just as well be with you, speak with you and shake your hand whenever I wish. However, it is easier, at least for me, to express myself in writing. In this way I am not bound by the multitude of tiny considerations which are necessary when speaking face to face, even with you! - I have often heard that the English are afflicted with the spleen. I know little about this illness, except that it is an oddity, but a grievance just the same, and that it often robs people of their life. I myself suffer from something quite similar to this, which is why I was so unpleasant towards you today, impatient about waiting, when instead I could have been of some assistance. You, the person I often believe that I would give up my life for. - "Talk to me!" you often say. Yes, that is what I wish to do, what I, lonely as always, must do this evening".

The almanac from the first few months of 1844 is extremely ambiguous, containing a great deal of initials, rather than names. Entries in the almanac during this period are marked by jalousie, anger, desperation and sensuality along with concerns about penis pain (presumably due to masturbation) and fear of turning insane (once again, probably due to masturbation, which was then believed to cause mental illness).

14 February

Performance at the Royal Theatre of Kongen drømmer (The King Dreams. Original Romantic Drama in one Act. Music composed by Choirmaster Rung. Submitted and later published anonymously. Is performed 14 times in total during HCA's life.

22 February

The King Dreams is published as a book. In a letter dated 25th February to Henriette Wulff, HCA finds the many guesses concerning the authorship amusing:

"...a humble play, "The King Dreams" is being very well received; people are constantly trying to guess who the author is, as the play is said to be political [...] it expresses much hostility towards the Danish aristocracy".

3 March

Release of "Sange af Vaudevillen: Fuglen i Pæretræet" (Songs from the Vaudeville: "The Bird in the Pear Tree") in New Portfolio.

24 March

Thorvaldsen, the famed Danish sculptor, dies during the overture preceding a performance of Halm's romantic drama, Griseldis, at the Royal Theatre. HCA had dined with Thorvaldsen and Oehlenschläger that very evening at the Stampes'. When HCA hears about the death on the following day, he is deeply shocked by it.

26 March

Writes a song for Thorvaldsen's funeral.

30 March

Attends the funeral of Thorvaldsen.

April - May

The relationship with Henrik Stampe deteriorates. (HCA confides in Jette Collin in August of 1862 (the diary, 22nd), whilst at Montreux, giving her details of "Stampe's intense love for me, which then evaporated once he had used me as a ladder by which to reach Jonna"). There are still no diaries. These are not resumed until the next journey outside of Denmark (or have not survived intact).

1844: Journey to Germany

23 May

Departs Copenhagen aboard the steamship Christian VIII, bound for Weimar. In Braunschweig, HCA's every need is tended to by the publisher Vieweg, at his exclusive country house. "There was no end to the compliments I received" (the diary, 21st June).

25st May - 14th June

HCA stays at Breitenburg. Moves on towards Weimar with a 3 days stay in Hamburg. Make a stop at Braunschweig. Here HCA was waited on by the publisher Vieweg at his country house. “They almost devoured me with compliments” (Diary June 21st)

24 June

Arrives in Weimar. Here HCA is introduced to the circle of people around Goethe: e.g. Chancellor Friedrich von Müller and Goethe's secretary, Eckermann. Also to the writer Amalie Freiherrin von Gross (nom de plume: Amalie Winter), who had arranged Nur ein Geiger (Only a Fiddler) as a popular book. Baron Carl Olivier von Beaulieu-Marconnay invites HCA to stay with him for a week. Is also introduced to the Grand Duke and Duchess (the Duchess is the sister of the Russian Czar). Moreover, HCA gets to know the young Carl Alexandre, heir to the ducdom, at Ettersburg, his castle (Carl Alexandre, with whom HCA becomes friends, is the grandchild of the Grand Duke Carl August, for whom Goethe was a tutor and later a minister.

1 July

Departs from Weimar to Jena and from here by train to Leipzig and Dresden.

3rd - 21st July

In Dresden. Also takes trips to Tharandt and Major Serre's estate, Maxen (here from 13th-17th).

4 July

In Dresden, HCA meets J.C. Drewsen and his wife. From them he learns that Henrik Stampe became engaged a week ago to the daughter of Adolph Drewsen and Ingeborg Collin, Jonna. "It can not be true" (in the diary).

15 July

Is drawn by the Austrian painter, Arthur Freiherr von Ramberg (the portrait is used by the publisher Lorck for the newspaper 'Illustrierte Zeitung' and appears in several German publications of HCA's work).

21 July

Is drawn by the painter Julie Gräfin von Egloffstein, who tires him with her enthusiasm for him, not least when he is pressured to read the poetry of Caroline, her sister. This sister is a lady-in-waiting for Maria Pavlovna of Sachsen-Weimar.

22 July

HCA visits the composer Carl Maria Weber (where he also meets Lorck) and attends an evening party held by Schumann.

23 July

Invited to lunch at the home of Brockhaus, the publisher. Departs on the same day for Halle, where he visits Robert Prutz, the publisher and professor of literary history. Continues on to Berlin.

3rd - 21st July

Staying in Berlin. Goes on 26th to see Jacob Grimm, philologist and publisher of fairy-tales, who had never heard of HCA! Spends the evening at the home of Henrik Steffens along with the philosopher Schelling and his daughter. Receives a visit on 30th from the natural scientist Alexandre von Humboldt and the composer Meyerbeer. On the 31st, he visits Goethe's old friend, the writer Bettina von Arnim (née Brentano, sister of the romanticist poet Clemens von Brentano and married to his friend, the poet Achim von Arnim). She:

"...told me that the kings read my fairy-tales and are better off for it, as in this way, they get to hear the truth" (the diary). On the way to a party in the evening he meets two Danish craftsmen, who inform him "that they and several of their associates had made a toast to me in Potsdam. I was quite moved by this" (the diary, 31st July).

1844: On Holiday With The Royal Couple.

1 August

Leaves Berlin for Stettin and journeys on from here by steamship to Copenhagen.

3 August

Arrives in Copenhagen.

12 August

Departure in the evening, bound for Glorup. Crosses the Great Belt aboard the steamship Frederik Carl Christian on the 13th for the first time. Stays at Glorup from 13th-27th, also visiting Lykkesholm during this time. Is invited by Queen Caroline Amalie to stay with her and Christian VIII on Føhr.

27 August

Goes first of all to Odense to visit the Hanck family, amongst others. Then travels to Assens by stagecoach. After 3 hours of stormy weather on the Little Belt, he arrives in Årøsund. Continues to Føhr via Flensburg and Dagebüll.

29 August

Arrives in Føhr, where the Duke of Augustenborg and C. Rantzau-Breitenburg are also present. Reads aloud fairy-tales for the queen, the king and the court respectively. Participates in excursions to Oland and Amrom.

5 September

This day is celebrated in honour of the 25th anniversary of HCA's arrival in Copenhagen. Christian VIII congratulates him and mentions how famous he now is in Germany. The king enquires about his earnings and hints that he is in favour of increasing HCA's yearly grant, but HCA has too much pride to seize the opportunity. During the conversation with Christian VIII, HCA mentions that his publisher (Reitzel) pays him 12 rdl. for each set of 16 pages written for the books.

9 September

Departs from Føhr. Travels via Flensburg and Sønderborg to Augustenborg.

11 September

Arrives at Augustenborg. During his stay here, HCA sometimes feels very concerned by the political discussions (concerning the question of Slesvig-Holstein) and hears about political/national unrest. The governor, Prince Frederik of Nør, visits Augustenborg (21st-25th) while HCA is there.

1844: Fairy-tales and Drama.

29 September

Departs Augustenborg. Travels via Svendborg to Kallehave and on to Copenhagen by coach.

23 November

Fritz Petit, HCA's old friend from school, has translated his collection of fairy-tales into German (Neue Märchen) and gives a copy to HCA. He is, however, very dissatisfied with it, finding it to be dandified or foppish in tone.

29 November

Receives an edition containing four new fairy-tales (Neue Märchen) translated by Julius Reuscher (Berlin).This stems from New Tales. 1st Installment from 1843. A second edition of the translation comes out in 1845.

November - December

Release in Swedish of Nya Sagor published by Bonnier, translated by the well-known novelist Wilhelmina Stålberg. The publishers advertised the book together with Jul-Aftonen (A Christmas Carol) by Dickens, with the following recommendation: "both works belong to the best literature which any country has to offer". In the following years, HCA's fairy-tales and stories are regularly published in Swedish, although delayed by 6 months to a year compared to the Danish publications.

December

Release of "Hyldemoer" (The Elder Tree Mother) in P.L. Møller's aesthetic yearbook Gæa, along with a drawing by Lorenz Frølich. The book also contained fragments of HCA's Ahasverus, and several poems.

23 December

Travels via Køge to Bregentved to spend Christmas there.

30 December

Publication in the newspaper Berlingske Tidende of HCA's "Bertel Thorvaldsen. En biographisk Skizze" (a biographical sketch of Thorvaldsen the sculptor) Returns to Copenhagen. Celebrates the New Year with the Collins .